Portal

Portal

Track Listings
Disc: 1

1. Portal to Avalon: Photography & Music [DVD]

Disc: 2

1. Avalon

2. Tenderland

3. Resting Place

4. Heritage

5. Beautiful Soul/Tender Lady

6. Seahorse

7. For All the Times

8. Eyrie

9. Woodland

10. Avalon [Remix]

Tracks:

Milonga En Re
Vardarito
Oblivion
Escualo
Histoire Du Tango: Cafe 1930
Concierto Para Quinteto
Soledad
Buenos Aires Hora Cero
Celos
El Sol Sueno (Hommage A Astor Piazzolla)
Le Grand Tango

Amazon.com essential recording

Gidon Kremer, who plays the standard violin repertoire so well, has remained a restless explorer of music. Here is his first album of Piazzolla arrangements, introduced by a moving and perceptive assessment of Piazzolla by composer John Adams. Kremer has completely steeped himself in the spirit of the tango, and of Piazzolla's transformation of this music into concert works. The selection (mostly larger-scale Piazzolla works), the varied arrangements, and the compelling quality of the playing make this one of the best albums of this music not involving the composer's own performances. And if you love it, you'll be glad to know that Kremer's second Piazzolla album is also available. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Wonderfully captivating music by the tango master.......2005-10-25

I was introduced to the music of Astor Piazzolla by the more than great violinist Gidon Kremer when he played a virtuosic tango as an encore. Whenever a rich new vein of wonderful music is opened to me, well, it makes for a bright and happy day. Not long after I picked up this CD and I can recommend it to you highly. This is more than just tango dance music, these are serious and contemplative compositions that use the Tango as the vehicle just as the classical and especially Baroque composers used their dance music for instrumental compositions. The music is full of mood, sensuality, rhythm, lush harmonies, dissonance, love, and pain. It is a music of contrasts and never gets too fussy or complicated. It wears its heart on its sleeve and draws us in because it is so charming.

Each piece has its own varied ensemble and the musicians in that ensemble also arrange the music for that track. Kremer leads from the violin in all of them, after all it is his album and his hommage to Piazzolla. However, the instruments used depend on the musical materials and mood of the piece. The piano is used quite a bit, and at times there are wind instruments. The bandoneón is required in tango, as well. It is a kind of concertina that was developed and made in Germany, but adopted in Argentina for the Tango. It has a wonderfully reedy sound and is played with buttons on each side of the bellows. Depending on the model, the note can change or stay the same whether you are pulling the bellows out or pushing them in, but in all of them there are two voices always at the octave and gives the bandoneón its characteristic sound.

The only composition not by Piazzolla is a very interesting tango included as a tribute to the master entitled "El sol sueño" by Jerzy Peterbushsky.

This is good music and a very enjoyable change of pace.

When styles mix.......2005-09-07

I bought this record following a live performance by Gidon Kremer et al. at the Verbier Festival. The mixture of classical music with a dose of jazz on a Latin base produces an interesting result that is quite surprising at first. However, the more one hears, the more the result grows on the listener, just as at the live show where the audience, somewhat stunned at the outset, gave a standing ovation at the end.

Overall, the mélange is pleasant, chill listening to be appreciated by fans of any of the three styles of music.

Explains It All To Those Wounded in Love.......2005-01-16

Ever have a moment where you loved someone so much you hated him?

Ever have a relationship you could not get out of your mouth, your mind, your heart, your system, but that you knew was over and done with forever and ever, and you'd never even see the other again?

Ever feel so happy you wanted to cry? No, sob? Wrenching, wracking sobs? From happiness, now.

Yes?

Have I got a CD for you: Hommage a Piazzolla, featuring Gidon Kremer.

Like many, I suspect, I have a mixed relationship to tango. When I put on a tango CD, I fear I'll be hearing something that sets my teeth to jangling and makes me want to slap someone in the face.

This isn't that. You could listen to most of this while sitting perfectly still, on a window sill, in fact, with the lights down low in your apartment, as you stare out at the rain-slicked city at night. A drink sits on a nearby table, unfinished...you have no will to finish it.

(It's hard not to imagine these things while listening to this music; really, it's all so poetic, cinematic, irresistable.)

At some point, though, you're probably not going to be able to sit still any more, and you'll have to put that rose in your teeth and cut a few moves.

Tango often sounds, to we non-Argentinians, like a parody of itself.

This CD does not.

Rather, when I put it on, not at all sure what to expect, I had one of those epiphanies that art can give you.

I had been brooding over a vexed relationship, one I did not understand, but knew was hurting me, not with any immediacy, but like a sore tooth that could stand to go a few more months before you get over your fear of the dentist to get it fixed.

What bugged me most of all was that I did not understand what was hurting. Rationally, I had no reason to feel troubled.

I put on this CD, with the relationship way in the back of my mind, and I just, immediately thought, "That's it. This music is explaining it all; this music is articulating everything."

Not bad.

This kind of music, music that allows in the true bittersweet of life, the unsolvable, the passion, is all too rare. If music that addresses those qualities is what you crave, this CD might be just what you need.

Great sex music! Comes from the heart!.......2004-07-21

The music and perforamance are so sensually played and achingly beautiful, the hairs on my neck and arms stand up on end. Listen to the opening track and tell me this is not great sex music. Yes, tango is a very sensual art form and this CD is great for those very intimate moments. Of course, sex aside, the music is nothing short of a miracle unto itself. That I was to discover this CD just last year meant I was without it for 7 years since it was released. My life is richer for this and other Piazzolla works done by Kremer.
This CD has become one of those "island" CDs that you would take if you wer so to become deserted on one. You should be so lucky!

Piazzolla's Unofficial Interpreter.......2001-04-12

I first became aware of this CD several years ago as its melancholy strains wafted through the air of a bookstore through which I was browsing. My ears perked up...Piazzolla!!! Upon inquiry, I was shown the CD and I immediately purchased a copy. I couldn't wait to get home and listen to it at elevated volume. What a recording!! Kremer has captured and distilled the essence of Piazzolla's music. Every song is a masterpiece and nearly all of my favorite mid-period Piazzolla compositions are contained within. A special treat is the magnum opus which closes the set, a 12-minute rendering of Le Grand Tango with just Kremer's violin and the restrained passion of Vadim Sakharov's piano to lead your mind into another musical dimension. Gidon Kremer has since recorded a number of Piazzolla-related CDs and in so doing has set himself up as the unofficial interpreter of El Maestro's music. If you like Piazzolla, you are sure to enjoy this CD. I give it my highest recommendation.

Prokofiev: The Five Piano Concertos; Overture on Hebrew Themes

Average customer rating:

Not only for the performances and the recording quality --
Sheesh
I guess the score doesn't matter
Piano could stand out a little more
awesome and terrifying

Prokofiev: The Five Piano Concertos; Overture on Hebrew Themes

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3 / Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini / Muti, Gavrilov
Prokofiev Plays Prokofiev
Saint-Saëns: Piano Concertos 1-5; Wedding Cake Caprice-Valse
Mikhail Pletnev - Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas nos. 2 - 7 - 8
Shostakovich: The Complete Symphonies - Mariss Jansons (10 CD)

ASIN: B000002S09
Release Date: 1992-09-29

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No 1 In D Major, Op.10: I. Allegro Brioso
Piano Concerto No 1 In D Major, Op.10: II. Andante assai
Piano Concerto No 1 In D Major, Op.10: III. Allegro scherzando
Piano Concerto No 2 In G Minor, Op.16: I. Andantino - Allegretto
Piano Concerto No 2 In G Minor, Op.16: II. Scherzo (vivace)
Piano Concerto No 2 In G Minor, Op.16: III. Intermezzo (allegro moderato)
Piano Concerto No 2 In G Minor, Op.16: IV. Finale (allegro tempestuoso)
Piano Concerto No.3 In C Major, Op.26: I. Andante - Allegro
Piano Concerto No.3 In C Major, Op.26: II. Theme et variations
Piano Concerto No.3 In C Major, Op.26: III. Allegro ma non troppo

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No.4 In B Flat Major, Op.53,'For The Left Hand': I. Vivace
Piano Concerto No.4 In B Flat Major, Op.53,'For The Left Hand': II. Andante
Piano Concerto No.4 In B Flat Major, Op.53,'For The Left Hand': III. Moderato
Piano Concerto No.4 In B Flat Major, Op.53,'For The Left Hand': IV. Vivace
Piano Concerto No.5 In G Major, Op. 55: I. Allegro con brio
Piano Concerto No.5 In G Major, Op. 55: II. Moderato ben accentuato
Piano Concerto No.5 In G Major, Op. 55: III. Toccata (allegro con fuoco)
Piano Concerto No.5 In G Major, Op. 55: IV. Larghetto
Piano Concerto No.5 In G Major, Op. 55: V. Vivo
Overture on Hebrew Themes, Op. 34
Visions fugitives, Op. 22: No 1. Lentamente
Visions fugitives, Op. 22: No 2. Andante
Visions fugitives, Op. 22: No 3. Allegretto
Visions fugitives, Op. 22: No 4. Animato
Visions fugitives, Op. 22: No 5. Molto giocoso
Visions fugitives, Op. 22: No 6. Con eleganza
Visions fugitives, Op. 22: No 7. Pittoresco
Visions fugitives, Op. 22: No 8. Commodo
Visions fugitives, Op. 22: No 9. Allegretto tranquillo
Visions fugitives, Op. 22: No 10. Ridicolosamente
Visions fugitives, Op. 22: No 11. Con vivacita
Visions fugitives, Op. 22: No 12. Assai moderato
Visions fugitives, Op. 22: No 13. Allegretto
Visions fugitives, Op. 22: No 14. Feroce
Visions fugitives, Op. 22: No 15. Inquieto
Visions fugitives, Op. 22: No 16. Dolente
Visions fugitives, Op. 22: No 17. Poetico
Visions fugitives, Op. 22: No 18. Con una dolce lentezza
Visions fugitives, Op. 22: No 19. Presto agitatissimo e molto accentuato
Visions fugitives, Op. 22: No 20. Lento irrealmente

Customer Reviews:

Not only for the performances and the recording quality --.......2005-12-07

-- I even like the cover art!

Sheesh.......2003-11-05

I'm reading the reviews here because I just adore this recording and wonder why it's so rarely the recommended choice in CD guides, etc... Maybe there are individual moments in other recordings that surpass individual moments here, but as a whole I don't think any of the other sets are nearly as effective.

But anyway - the review below really annoyed me so I just wanted to weigh in: Beroff's is a really lovely rendition of the Visions Fugitives, and the "ppp" in question (that prompted my fellow reviewer to impress us all with his lordly inability to tolerate philistinism by hurling his CDs into the trash like the filth they are) - ahem - the "ppp" in question applies WITHOUT ANY DOUBT only to the inner voice - I don't know what edition Mr. Landkamer has, but the two that I just looked at both make special effort to place the "ppp" on the page in a way that communicates this. It also bears mentioning that this "ppp" does not appear in the first edition at all.

In conclusion: this set is an amazing deal and, regardless of what people say about Ashkenazy or Argerich or Richter or whomever else, is utterly satisfying. It's one of the few recordings of Prokofiev I've heard where the performance is GENUINELY CONVINCED of the idea that this music is utterly coherent and human. Even supposedly "sensitive" Prokofiev performances often underestimate the fluidity of his musical expression and decide to let things seem thorny and chaotic rather than doing the work necessary to clarify the enigmatic elements. Beroff and Masur are so in tune with the spirit of Prokofiev's screwball jokes and whimsically meandering emotions that you feel you're hearing the piece direct from the composer. Very rare thing, that. There are no more and no fewer fireworks in these performances than Prokofiev put in the score - which is plenty! - and I don't know about you but that's how I like my classical recordings.

I guess the score doesn't matter.......2003-04-26

A few minutes ago, for lack of anything better to do, I put on the Visions Fugitives as played by Michel Beroff on this CD. In bar 14 there is a two-note pickup starting a repeat of the opening melody, here marked "p semplice". Then, on beat 1 of the next bar, the marking is "ppp" implying that the repeat of the theme is to *begin* like a routine restatement but then shift without warning into a new, quieter dreamlike realm. Beroff makes ABSOLUTELY NO CHANGE at the ppp. It might as well not be there. These CD's are about to go into the trash.

There, gone.

Addendum (5/31/03)...I purchased another recording of Visions Fugitives, by Boris Berman, and he played this part the same way. Looking again at the score, I think I can see why...the ppp is being interpreted as applying only to the chromatically winding inner voice. I'm not certain that's right, but it's at least not completely unreasonable. Sorry, Michel, I take it all back.

(11/28/03) in response to my courageously anonymous fellow reviewer ("music fan" above) the edition I have is MCA and the ppp is placed between the upper an lower staves but somewhat above-center. I'm not sure this qualifies as a special effort to communicate the intent.

Piano could stand out a little more.......2002-09-21

I agree with other reviewers this is a very good recording, of very difficult works. But it is especially good for the orchestral part. I am not saying Beroff is not a good pianist dont get me wrong. I am just saying there is better.
For the piano (and those are PIANO concertos my friends :) I have to say that I like the Ashkenazy/Previn recording better especially for #2 and #3 The piano sounds much clearer and less hesitating. The opening of 4th movement of #2 for example is 100 times better as played by Ashkenazy. Those chords are so much more precisely dropped. The orchestra though in many passages is more overwhelming (as it should be in this piece) in the Beroff/Masur recording.
If you want the complete set. Get both this recording and the Ashkenazy/Previn. They complement one another really well.
Now if you want the best recording of #3. You want to get the Argerich/Abbado recording. It ROCKS its is way above any other. Better rythmic precision , better phrasing, faster tempo. It is just amazing.

awesome and terrifying.......2002-09-21

This CD is another example of good price, comprehensiveness, and outstanding quality combining to make a powerhouse recording. I cannot overstate how dazzling Beroff's performance is. To hear pianistic technique at its pinnacle, just listen to the cadenza of the Second Concerto's opening movement--it'll take your breath away (you'll swear that it cannot be played by just a single player--examining the score will compound the disbelief). Beroff's swift hammering, mastery of dynamics, and perfect grasp of both Prokofiev's wit and rage, will have you coming back to this CD set for years. Concerto No. 3, by the way, is the best performance I've heard besides that given by Martha Argerich. With expert performance by Maestro Masur and the Gewandhaus Orchestra, these five neoclassical works have rarely received such musical justice. The second CD also features Prokofiev's delightful ethnographic chamber piece, "Overture on Hebrew Themes," as well as his solo piano work, "Fugitive Visions" (not quite as notable as, say, his late sonatas). I consider this CD set one of the best in my collection, and I recommend it without any reservations.

Poulenc: Concerto for pianos in Dm; Concerto for organ & strings in Gm

Average customer rating:

Excellent program of delightful French music
A great collection of Poulenc's work!

Poulenc: Concerto for pianos in Dm; Concerto for organ & strings in Gm

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Poulenc: Piano Works
Poulenc: Chamber Music
Poulenc: Mass in G major; Motets
Poulenc - Aubade · Les biches · Les animaux modèles / Pascal Rogé · Charles Dutoit
Poulenc: Complete Chamber Music, Vol. 1

ASIN: B0000042DK
Release Date: 1997-10-14

Tracks:

Piano Concerto: I. Allegretto
Piano Concerto: II. Andante con moto
Piano Concerto: III. Rondeau a la francaise
Sextuor pour piano, flute, hautbois, clarinette, basson et cor: I. Allegro vivace
Sextuor pour piano, flute, hautbois, clarinette, basson et cor: II. Divertissement
Sextuor pour piano, flute, hautbois, clarinette, basson et cor: III. Finale
Sonata For Two Pianos: I. Prologue: Extremement lent et calme
Sonata For Two Pianos: II. Allegro Molto
III. Andante lirico
Sonata For Two Pianos: IV. Epilogue: Allegro giocoso
Concerto In D Minor For Two Pianos And Orchestra: I. Allegro ma non troppo
Concerto In D Minor For Two Pianos And Orchestra: II. Larghetto
Concerto In D Minor For Two Pianos And Orchestra: III. Finale - Allegro molto

Tracks:

Organ Concerto: Andante
Organ Concerto: Allegro giocoso
Organ Concerto: Subito andante moderato
Organ Concerto: Tempo allegro, molto agitato
Organ Concerto: Tres calme. Lent
Organ Concerto: Tempo de l'allegro initial
Organ Concerto: Tempo introduction. Largo
Concert Champetre: I. Allegro molto
Concert Champetre: II. Andante
Concert Champetre: III. Finale
Gloria: I. Gloria in excelsis Deo
Gloria: II. Laudamus te
Gloria: III. Domine Deus, Rex coelestis
Gloria: IV. Domine Fili unigenite
Gloria: V. Domine Deus, Agnus Dei
Gloria: VI. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris

Customer Reviews:

Excellent program of delightful French music.......2003-10-02

I thought that this disc was excellent. This was my first Poulenc CD and I have to say that Poulenc is a fascinating composer. The Piano Concerto is quite lovely. I really enjoyed the Organ Concerto; the balance between orchestra and organ was excellent. The two-piano concerto had drive and was exciting throughout. The Concert Champetre was interesting for its use of the harpsichord, a instrument which really has its home in baroque music. I have only one problem with this disc. I think that the sound could be better. On the Concert Champetre, it is difficult to hear the harpsichord sometimes. The sound on the two-piano concerto is sufficient, but one could wish for even better sound. Other than that quibble, I thought the disc was great. It is difficult to find one CD set with this many different pieces by Poulenc, so it's welcomed. Four stars.

A great collection of Poulenc's work!.......1998-11-15

This double-Cd set is a wonderful collection of work by the French composer. It has both of the remarkable piano concertos, the delightful Organ concerto, and the out-of-the-ordinary harpsichord concerto. A grand overview of this remarkable composer's incredible range and talent. For someone who was looking for a good place to start with Poulenc, this Cd is highly reccommendable. I was very impressed with this release!

Average customer rating:

Birdwatcher
Michel Portal
Manufacturer: Sunny Side Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music
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The Words And The Days

ASIN: B000QEILT2
Release Date: 2007-06-26

Tracks:

Nada mas
Lanterne helvete
The sandpiper
The bad waitress
Lake Street
Tadorna
Distira lanoan
Calicot vanity
Lanterne helvete (snap)
Impatience
Blue lighthouse

Product Description

We ve all heard of An American in Paris. On his new CD, Birdwatcher, the world-renowned multi-instrumentalist Michel Portal is our Frenchman in Minneapolis! Since 2000, Portal one of the most ubiquitous musicians on the planet for over four decades, at home in classical and jazz idioms has made Minnesota s largest city his second musical home, ever since he performed there for a festival. The title of the disc is a tribute to the great saxophonist Charlie Parker. As a teenager, I listened to both Mozart and Charlie Parker, and they re geniuses... he told Elizabeth Tchoungui on France 24. I am proud to be able to play Parker, black music, white music, American music. I am the product of these various influences.

Only a master like Portal can distill those influences into a distinctive sonic stew that has the ingredients of world music, straight-ahead, avant-garde, and fusion influences. Portal who plays bass clarinet, alto and soprano saxophone, is joined by the tenor saxophonist Tony Malaby, Prince drummer JT Bates, pianist/keyboardist Tony Hymas, bass and six-string guitarists Jef Lee Johnson, Erik Fratzke, Sonny Thompson, and Francis Mouton, drummer Michael Bland and the legendary Brazilian percussionist Airto Moreira, who played with everyone from Miles Davis to Chick Corea. Portal s bass clarinet displays an incredible range of colors on par with the best improvisers on that instrument, including Eric Dolphy and Bennie Maupin, as evidenced by the frenetic Weather Report-like, Nada Mas, the two nocturnally nuanced versions of Lanterne Helevete, and the dark and twisty rimshots on The Bad Waitress. Lake Street struts with zesty, neo-samba syncopations, contrasted by the martial, dirge beats of Calicot Vanity. On Tadora, which begins a ballad that morphs into an anthemic, Afro groove, with snatches of the Latin jazz hit Watermelon Man, and the mainstream swing of Impatience, Portal switches to soprano and alto saxophones with equal fluency. Bluelighthouse concludes the CD in a scintillating and silent way.

Born on November 27, 1935 in Bayonne France, Michel Portal s career has been anything but silent. He switched to jazz after establishing a solid foundation in classical music, and performed with composer/conductor Pierre Boulez. He started the free jazz movement in France in the late sixties, with Francois Tusques, Barnard Vitet, and Sunny Murray. He also formed the New Phonic Art ensemble, which featured Vinko Globokar, Carlos Roque Alsina, and Jean-Pierre Drouet. In 1970, he formed the Michel Portal Unit, which featured European and American musicians and by 1975, was writing soundtracks. He s released over fifteen albums as a leader, including: Dejarne Solo (Dreyfus 1970), Arrivederci le Chouantse (hatArt 1980) a duo with drummer Pierre Favre, and Musique de Cinemas with guitarist Ralph Towner and trumpeter Paoli Fresu (Label Bleu 1996). In 2002, he recorded Minneapolis (Universal), his first project with musicians from that city, followed by Minneapolis We Insist! (Universal 2002), and Dipping in Minneapolis (Universal 2003). In 2003 and 2004, he released Burundi (Pao), with percussionist Mino Cinelu, and didgeridoo player Stephen Kent, and Concerts (Dreyfus), a live date with accordion master Richard Galliano.

For a man who has fought against labels, Birdwatcher is Michel Portal s latest stamp on a well-traveled musical journey. Jazz is a kind of revenge, he told Elizabeth Tchoungui on France 24, I m totally free.

Vives - Doña Francisquita / Domingo, Arteta, Mirabal, Del Portal, C. Álvarez, C. Chausson, M. Roa

Average customer rating:

A Beautiful Perfomance of a Masterpiece

Vives - Doña Francisquita / Domingo, Arteta, Mirabal, Del Portal, C. Álvarez, C. Chausson, M. Roa
Amadeo Vives , Miguel Roa , Plácido Domingo , Ainhoa Arteta , Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla , Coro Titular del Gran Teatro de Córdoba , Linda Mirabal , Enrique R. Del Portal , Carlos Álvarez , and Carlos Chausson
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
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Bretón - La Dolores / Domingo · Matos · Lanza · Beltrán · Ros Marbá
Zarzuela Arias & Duets

ASIN: B000002AUB
Release Date: 1995-01-10

Tracks:

Dona Francisquita: Acto Primero, Escena 1: El lanador!
Dona Francisquita: Acto Primero, Escena 3: Peno por un hombre, madre
Dona Francisquita: Acto Primero, Escena 8: All la tienes
Dona Francisquita: Acto Primero, Escena 10: Y tu que haras ahora?
Dona Francisquita: Acto Primero, Escena 13: Ese es mi nombre

Tracks:

Dona Francisquita: Acto Segundo, Escena 1: Cuando te digo que vengas
Dona Francisquita: Acto Segundo, Escena 3: Le van a oir!
Dona Francisquita: Acto Segundo, Escena 6: Por el humo se sabe donde esta el fuego
Dona Francisquita: Acto Segundo, Escena 9: Escuchame!
Dona Francisquita: Acto Segundo, Escena 12: Fui demasiado vehemente
Dona Francisquita: Acto Segundo, Escena 14: Ole! Viva! Ole!
Dona Francisquita: Acto Tercero, Escena 1: Ah! Ave Maria Purisima!
Dona Francisquita: Acto Tercero, Escena 1: Ah! Ave Maria Purisima!
Dona Francisquita: Acto Tercero, Escena 7: Yo no fui sincera
Dona Francisquita: Acto Tercero, Escena final: Canto alegre de la juventud

Customer Reviews:

A Beautiful Perfomance of a Masterpiece.......1998-11-14

It is wonderful that the world is discovering zarzuela, the best kept secret in music. And there is no better way to be introduced to zarzuela than with this beautiful recording of Dona Francisquita, perhaps the greatest work of the genre. On this album, there is a general excellence in the performance of soloists, chorus and orchestra. Placido Domingo is in excellent voice, combining passion and tenderness. Ainhoa Arteta is charming as Francisquita. Her voice is fresh, with excellent diction. Only on the technical side is Maria Bayo slightly better. Linda Mirabal is magnificent as Aurora. Her use of chest voice is exciting, she could be a great Carmen. The rest of the cast is good, the chorus is excellent, and the orchesta and conductor gives excitement to the wonderful score. Viva la Zarzuela!

Average customer rating:

Just the right blend
What the Doctor Ordered
Fantastic

Portal
Deardorf Peterson Group
Manufacturer: Origin Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music
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Speakin' Out
Hope Is In the Air: The Music of Elmo Hope
Free as a Bird
Shangri-La
Once Again

ASIN: B0001IXTRM
Release Date: 2004-04-20

Tracks:

Portal
Rhythm Tune
Crazy Heart
Mr Schmeil
That's The Deal
Blues For Dave
Invitation
Song For Lee
The Last Minute
Ana Maria

Customer Reviews:

Just the right blend.......2007-06-29

This album epitomizes for me the perfect jazz sound--smooth, distinct, and uplifting.

Each song adds a unique, most enjoyable flavor to the overall tone of the album.

What the Doctor Ordered.......2007-05-07

Turn down the lights, pop this CD into the player, grab a glass of wine, kick off your shoes, and recline on the sofa. A-h-h-h-h, the perfect prescription for winding down after a long day at work. Mellow, reminiscent of Dave Brubeck's best. Portal from Deardorf/Peterson Group delivers!

Fantastic.......2006-07-27

This is gorgeous jazz. Very good for playing in a Borders store or at a luncheon, but it's really good after a long day or during rainy days and you just want to sit and chill. I love this and recommend it highly for jazz fans.

Average customer rating:

Portal and Les Musiciens: Wonderfully done...

W.A. Mozart: Clarinet Quintet [Book+CD]

Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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$9.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

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Mozart: Divertimenti
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W.A. Mozart: Nachtmusik [Book & CD]
Piano Sonatas
Mozart: Complete Piano Trios

ASIN: B000A169KO
Release Date: 2005-10-11

Tracks:

Allegro
Larghetto
Menuetto
Allegretto Con Variazioni
Andante
Menuetto
Rondeaux (Allegretto)

Customer Reviews:

Portal and Les Musiciens: Wonderfully done..........2006-09-18

Mozart's Clarinet Quintet is maybe his most famous chamber music piece, most probably his most recorded and performed one for chamber music. It is great to see that these musicians performing in this recording have done a wonderful job. Portal is a great artist. He has the natural gift of making every musical phrase sound complete. Les Musiciens in the Quintet are great, playing relaxed. Nothing in this recording is 'obsessed with energy and brilliance'. This kind of playing shows that nothing has to sound 'romantic' to be expressive.
'Kegelstatt' Trio is also wonderful. Jean-Claude Pennetier is a great accompanist here. In both pieces the members sound as one. Both pieces are so maturely played that one doesn't feel any 'force' to make the music flow; these interpretations make Mozart's music flow naturally. Everything is well thought and greatly performed. Once again Portal fascinated me with this expressive and natural playing; he is definitely one of the greatest clarinettist of our time. I'm also glad that Portal is not the only great one in this recording. Wonderfully done.

Average customer rating:

Bartok Ravishingly Performed

Bartók: Works for Violin

Manufacturer: Valois
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CEBOUO
Release Date: 2006-03-21

Tracks:

Allegro Non Troppo
Andante Tranquillo
Allegro Molto
Recruiting Dance
Relaxation
Fast Dance

Tracks:

Tempo Di Ciaccona
Fuga
Melodia
Presto
Allegro Appassionato
Adagio
Allegro

Customer Reviews:

Bartok Ravishingly Performed.......2006-04-27

On this mid-price double CD album are collected most of the important violin works by Bela Bartok. The only major things missing are the early first violin concerto and the second violin/piano sonata. But included are the Second Violin Concerto, 'Contrasts' for violin, clarinet and piano, the magnificent Sonata for Solo Violin, and the First Sonata for Violin and Piano. The violinist featured is Laurent Korcia, a fortyish violinist who is wildly popular in his native France but not widely known elsewhere. His playing has been heralded outside France but some reason he hasn't had a great deal of exposure. He was featured playing one of the Ysaye solo sonatas in Bruno Monsaingeon's excellent documentary (available on DVD), 'The Art of Violin.'

For me the high points of the set are the Solo Sonata, played with incisive and yet suave manner, and the Second Violin Concerto, with its sometimes velvety, sometimes tart flavor. In the latter he is accompanied marvelously by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Simon Rattle's successor as its music director, the Finnish conductor Sakari Oramo. The solo sonata is one of the masterpieces of modern solo violin writing and a real bear to perform. Korcia manages it marvelously and although he has technique to burn he makes it clear that this is a knotty work to perform and get across; I have to believe that is what Bart?k intended. I have known and loved the sonata for years, ever since I heard Ivry Gitlis play and then make a classic recording of it. I have not heard Menuhin's recording but am told that it is a benchmark. Bartok wrote the sonata for him, so I can imagine it is excellent. That is as may be, but I was more than satisfied and often electrified (as in the fugal second movement) by Korcia's playing.

'Contrasts' was originally written for Benny Goodman and Josef Szigeti who premiered it with the composer at the piano. This performance with clarinetist Michel Portal and pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, along with Korcia, doesn't quite have the bounce in the first movement (Verbunkos) that I recall others having, but it is suave in the extreme and quite enjoyable. The atmospheric second movement, Piheno (Relaxation), is played with grace and intense concentration; one feature is that the clarinet plays in its spooky chalumeau register much of the time. The finale, Sebes (Fast Dance), is characterized by endless chains of sixteenths and a chugging peasant rhythm, very exciting and just a little down-and-dirty. Excellent!

I was not at all familiar with the First Sonata for Violin and Piano (Korcia/Bavouzet) and haven't quite digested it yet. It sounds fine, but I have nothing to compare it with. It is early (1921) and sounds harder-edged than the later works; this was the period of 'The Miraculous Mandarin', after all.

The Solo Sonata and the Violin/Piano Sonata were recorded in Marseille in 1997. The Second Concerto was recorded live in concert in Birmingham in 2004. 'Contrasts' was recorded in Brussels in 2005. All are in fine sound. There are no audience sounds in the live recording.

Strong recommendations all around.

Scott Morrison

Crystal Portal, Singing Crystal Bowl Journeys

Average customer rating:

Stellar Majesty!
Crystal Portal, Singing Bowl Journeys
Wonderful crystal bowl music!
Crystal Vibrations will enchant you-get ready to blast off!

Crystal Portal, Singing Crystal Bowl Journeys
Elivia Melodey's Crystal Vibrations
Manufacturer: Crystal Vibrations Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | International | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Journey To Wholeness - Singing Crystal Bowls for Healing and Wholeness
SOUNDS OF LIGHT: The Pure Tones of Crystal Singing Bowls
Terra Firma ~ Singing Crystal Bowls for Centering and Inner Peace
Seven Metals Singing Bowls of Tibet
CRYSTAL VOICES: The Harmonic Vibrations of Crystal Singing Bowls

ASIN: B0002BBKAQ
Release Date: 2004-04-28

Tracks:

Cellular Initiation
Beyond Time
Exultation
Concordance

Album Description

Lie back and relax into the entrancing rich sound landscape of crystalline tones and flute from the sound healers of Elivia Melodey's newly renamed Crystal Vibrations Music Ensemble. Like a huge ship pulling out of port, the first track is momentous in the pregnancy of the impending journey. The flute dissolves into the crystal tones only to reemerge and beacon you onward. Each of the four tracks progressively moves the listener to a more profound sense of joy, higher awareness and universal connection. Gradually the intensity of the droning and chiming of the many bowls and flute grows. The magical inspired rhythms entice you onward, into the continuum of the spiraling energy of life. You are invited to journey out into light-filled realms of the universe on these unique sonic waves and experience harmonic unification with all life. The extraordinary tones on this unique collection will take you to into new vibrations of love and peace.

Crystal Portal was produced during the Lunar Eclipse on the Harmonic Concordance (November, 8, 2003) when a powerful infusion of love energy was experienced on Earth. The six-pointed planetary configuration that occurred on this date signaled the coming together of heaven and earth, through the human heart, for a new integration of the masculine and feminine energies. It was a turning point for the future destiny of all humanity.

RECORDED LIVE, this work is an inspired blend of 39 crystal singing bowls, silver transverse flute, bells, Celtic harp, gong, water drum and other instruments. The haunting melodies are seemingly simple, yet the flavor of this energy infusion has grown in complexity with each successive album from this ensemble. A new musical style, which crosses the boundaries of jazz, world music and new age, it is all of these and more. Made with the intention to assist humanity in all ways, it is perfect for deep listening, relaxation, meditation and healing. Total playing time 56 minutes

Customer Reviews:

Stellar Majesty!.......2005-10-14

This album is spell binding and totally entrancing. I would compare it to the music of Andreas Vollenweider or any of Kitaro's earlier works. Not your typical crystal bowl CD, (But then again, none of the Crystal Vibrations music is!)

Elivia has captured the journey into far space and back again with this seamless and superb album. You return again, but not to exactly where you started the trip, as you're different. It's like signing on to a musical translation of what ascension is all about. Every time I listen I get new insights about myself, and my own life journey and get Lighter! If you like to relax completely and move into new dimensions, this music is a must have!

Crystal Portal, Singing Bowl Journeys.......2004-11-05

This is my favorite crystal bowl CD! The flute adds a magical touch to the vibrations of the bowls. Thank you, Elivia and Cyrstal Vibrations Music Ensemble for such a beautiful gift! I honor you in the highest light!

Wonderful crystal bowl music!.......2004-08-22

I LOVE singing crystal bowls and the sounds they create. Elivia has a wonderful ensemble that blends the bowls with Native American flute, didgerdoo and other instruments. This is music to meditate to and I even use it to fall asleep to at night. This is a hour's worth of blissful sound that you feel on many levels.

Crystal Vibrations will enchant you-get ready to blast off!.......2004-06-21

Okay, I am a fan BUT you will love this new CD released in mid-June. The blend of crystal singing bowls, flute, and other instruments will take you into new realms. You might even experience visions as you meditate to this one! Add this to your library, you won't be disappointed.